Broil King Signet 90 Natural Gas Grill Review
The popularity of natural gas grills is on the rise. Many municipal providers are happy to run a natural gas line to your deck or patio for a relatively small fee. This makes a grill like the Broil King 986887 Signet 90 possible for homeowners all across the United States.
It features three independently controlled burners that produce 40,000 BTUs at full flame. There is also a 15,000 BTU rear-mounted rotisserie burner, that works in tandem with a rotisserie accessory kit. There’s even a 10,000 BTU side burner cleverly disguised in one of the two folding side tables.
The primary grill grate measures in at 635 total square inches with a 235 square inch warming rack. They are made from porcelain-coated cast iron which maximizes heat retention while also reducing sticking and overall cleanup time.
Construction & Ease of Assembly
The Broil King 986887 Signet 90 marries a lot of quality materials into one grill. This includes stainless steel where you want it for visual appeal, and cast aluminum where you need it for strength, as well as lightweight durability.
Don’t overlook the folding side shelves that reduce the grill’s overall footprint. Just keep a close eye on the gas hose leading to the disguised side burner to make sure it doesn’t get pinched.
This grill is specifically set up for natural gas, and the conversion back to propane isn’t always available. So, make sure that you have natural gas plumbed to your deck or patio. It would also be helpful to have an extra-long extension hose, for times when you might want to move the grill a little bit.
As you might imagine a grill this complex is going to take a little bit of time to put together. Still, it’s not prohibitive, but it would be nice to have a friend to help you.
Grilling Performance
On a technical level, natural gas only has about a third of the energy density of propane. For some, this draws the complaint of it not being as “Hot.” However, this is usually just related to a lack of proper preheating time. In truth, this grill needs a few extra minutes to fully heat up the cast iron grates. Once it does you won’t notice a difference between propane.
Another benefit of natural gas is that it oxidizes more efficiently when it burns. On low heat applications, not all propane burners fully oxidize the hydrocarbons. This can sometimes leave a chemical taste to the food, that you rarely get with clean-burning natural gas.
Where this little factoid shows up best is the rotisserie burner, which you can confidently dial down low to slow-roast a single bird. Just make sure to put a drippings pan under it to minimize the mess. If anything, it will spare you from accidentally gumming up the flame ports on one of the burner elements.
Grilling Areas
The porcelain-coated, cast iron grill grates, provide 400 square inches of cooking space. This is more than enough to comfortably grill hamburger patties for a family of five or more.
There is also a 235 square inch removable warming rack. Just keep in mind that you will need to carefully pull it out when you want to install the rotisserie spit.
Special Features
The included rotisserie kit and the rear-mounted natural gas burner is the first place where the Broil King 986887 Signet 90 starts to shine. Some of its direct competitors don’t offer this as part of their package. The clean-burning natural gas also lets the natural flavor of the chicken shine through. Just bear in mind that the spit isn’t strong enough to handle a turkey.
The side burner carefully disguised in the folding side table is also a nice touch. It lets you simmer corn or saute vegetables while still manning the grill. The folding feature is also stout while locked in place and lets you reduce the overall space the grill takes up when not in use. This makes the Broil King 986887 Signet 90 a great option for homes with a small deck, yet also need to grill for a family of four or more.
Ease to Clean
The porcelain coating on the cast iron grill grates makes for easy scraping and cleaning. The grease catch is a little bit on the small side, but that’s only an issue for very long grilling sessions.
If you are going to use the rotisserie it’s best to place a disposable aluminum foil pan under the bird to catch what can be a lot of drippings. Some people will even put quartered red potatoes in the pan to make the most out of the flavorful liquid.
Warranty
Broil King backs the Signet 90 with an impressive lifetime warranty on the cast aluminum components, along with a 10-years on Dual-Tube™ burner system warranty. All other remaining parts and paint carry two years of coverage from the original date of purchase. Broil King also works hard to provide quality customer service.
This level of warranty is a full step ahead of the direct competitors for a natural gas grill in this size and price range. You could even argue that it verges on being “Best in Class.”
Conclusion
If you have a small deck or patio, yet you want to grill for four or more people, then the Broil King Signet 90 certainly deserves to be on your list. The rotisserie kit and rear-mounted burner is also a very nice touch that you don’t always see with a grill like this.
Just make sure that you either have a natural gas connection on your deck, or that one can be plumbed at a reasonable cost.
